


The Art of the Con

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 08:31:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9064255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: Not all business meetings are all they're cracked up to be.





	

The Art of the Con

 

“Good morning, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce glared at the overly sweet voice of Jean, his secretary, as he walked off of the elevator.

“No.  It’s not.  Who was the idiot who thought it would be a good idea to call for an eight-thirty meeting, and why did you even let it on my calendar?”

_Ah, he’s in one of those moods today._  Not answering the questions, Jean instead asked, “Is everything okay, Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce huffed, trying to restrain himself from snapping at the woman.  “Not in the slightest.  Jason has to have his wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow.  He’s been miserable for the past week, which is making everyone miserable.  Damian caught a cold at school, and he’s been…needy.  I never thought he would get clingy and whiny when he’s sick, but he does.  Maybe it’s because he is rarely ever sick?”  Bruce took another deep breath and asked, “So, tell me again, what is so good about this morning?”

Jean smiled at Bruce.  Winking at him, she said in a conspiratorial tone, “You’re here, instead of there.”

Bruce laughed shortly and nodded.  Jean continued, “And, you only have the one meeting today.”

Bruce shook his head and said, “But, it’s scheduled for all day.  This meeting better be worth it.”

Jean grinned, “You can find out, they’re waiting for you in your office.”

Bruce stared for a second before his eyes widened, “They’re where?  You left people unattended in my office?  Tell me again why I have this big, outer office, with all the chairs?”

“I didn’t think it would be a problem, given the people involved.”

“We’ll see,” Bruce said darkly, turning towards the large portal that closed off his personal office.

Bruce entered his office to find it empty.  _I thought she said my meeting was waiting in here?  Where is this guy?_   Bruce whipped around as he heard the toilet in his personal bathroom flushing.  His eyes narrowed as he thought, _whoever this is sure has some balls for not only being in my office unattended, but taking the liberty of using my personal bathroom._

The door opened, and Bruce started in, “Hey!  What do you think…oh?  Hi, Tim.”

Tim smiled as he read Bruce’s expression.  “You thought I was some random contractor or employee, didn’t you.”

It wasn’t a question, and Bruce gave his third son his first real smile of the day.  “Yeah.  Someone was dumb enough to ask for a meeting first thing in the morning.  They will just have to deal with ‘morning me’.”

Tim shrugged and said, “Eh, I’ve dealt with that before.”

Bruce was quiet for a minute as he worked things out, then said, “Wait, you’re my all-day appointment?”

Tim snickered, “Do you not even read the appointments on your calendar?”

Bruce smiled weakly, “That’s what I have a secretary for.  So, what’s going on that requires us to work on it for eight hours?”

Tim blushed slightly and averted his eyes.  “I…I wanted to spend some time with you.”

Bruce was silent for a minute before he said, “You what?”

“I was hoping we could spend the day together.”

Bruce looked at Tim strangely and said, “Why didn’t you tell me at home?  There was no reason to come in today, unless you wanted to spend time with me here.”

Tim shrugged, “I wanted it to be a surprise.  Besides, with what I hoped to do today, we would have to come by here on the way.  Also, with an official calendar invite on both of our email calendars, we can claim a work meeting.  You can call it Foundation business if you have to.”

Bruce stared at Tim, thinking _once again, I end up ignoring Tim.  I wish I had his patience.  He’s dealt with this side of my personality for too long._   Bruce walked out from behind his desk and pulled Tim into a hug.  “I’m sorry, Tim.  Truly, I am.”

Bruce felt Tim’s face drop through their embrace.  “Oh.  I understand.  You already had something else scheduled for today?”

Bruce gently pushed Tim back to arm’s length.  “No, you don’t understand.  I’m sorry I don’t pay more attention to you.  Most of our relationship has consisted of me ignoring you, taking you for granted, and I hate that.”

“I’m used to it, Bruce,” Tim said quietly.

“I hate that you are used to it,” Bruce said fiercely, “It’s not right.”

Tim gave a very small smile, “It just makes the time we do get together more special.  I know how busy you are, Bruce.  I haven’t had the traumas that the others have.  They need you more.  It’s okay that you spend more time with them.”

Bruce took a deep breath, “That’s just it, though.  You _have_ had the traumas, but my jerkishness forced you to deal with it on your own.  You say that they need me more, but that implies that you need me, too.  It’s not okay that spending time with takes time away from you, to the point where you felt the need to make an appointment to spend a day with me.”  Bruce sighed, “Why can’t we do things together, all of us, like a normal family?”

A smirk crossed Tim’s face, lighting up his eyes.  Bruce rolled his eyes, and they intoned at the same time, “Because normal is boring.”

“It’s basically the family motto, Bruce,” Tim laughed.

Bruce sighed again, “Okay, what are we doing?”

Tim’s eyes widened, “You mean it?”

“Of course,” Bruce smiled, “It’s not like I have anything else on my calendar at the moment; you made sure of that.  You took the time to plan out something for us to do, I’m not going to make the effort meaningless.”

Tim checked his watch and winced, “The first place we’re going is Starbucks.”

Bruce caught the wince and asked, “What was that look for?”

Tim gave a weak smile, “Well, we’re a bit early for our plans.  I…I thought it would take longer to talk you into doing this.”

Bruce shrugged, “It should take no time at all to talk me into spending time with you.  You shouldn’t even have to try to convince me.  The plans themselves are immaterial.  If it is one of my sons asking, there should be no discussion, just agreement.  Besides, you haven’t actually told me what we’re doing today, so I have nothing to go on.  You made the appointment, we can do what you want to do.”

“That means a lot, Bruce,” Tim said softly, “I just hope you feel the same way this afternoon.”

They left Bruce’s office, and the elder stopped at Jean’s desk.  “Is this really my only appointment today?”

“Yes, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce smiled, “Thanks, Jean.  I won’t be back today.”

Bruce tried not to huff as they stood in line at the crowded coffee shop.  He caught Tim staring at him and gave his son a weak smile.

“Sorry, Bruce.  I didn’t think this place would be so crowded.”

“It’s okay, Tim.  I’m just wondering about some of the…fashions…people are choosing lately.  If I didn’t know better, I would think all of these people were on their way to a comic book convention.”

Bruce chuckled, but stopped when Tim’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed a deep red.  “Tim?”

Tim ran his fingers through his hair nervously and said, “Um…they most likely _are_ on their way to a comic book convention.”

Bruce took a deep breath, trying not to show how uncomfortable his next question made him.  “Are _we_ on our way to a comic book convention, Tim?”

Tim looked down and mumbled, “Today is the first day of Goth Con.”

“…And?”

“And, you’re going to convince yourself that there is no reason you should ever set foot in a comic book convention, but I’m going to beg you to trust me.  There is something going on today that you are going to be very interested in, and I really want it to be something we can share.”

“Tim,” Bruce said in an exasperated tone, then stopped, thinking to himself.  _He asks for so little from me.  He never complains about the fraction of time I spend with him._   “Tim?”

“Yeah?” Tim responded nervously.

“You spent a lot of time planning for this, didn’t you?”

Tim shrugged, “Well, tickets weren’t easy to come by, and if we’re going to go, we have to get there early.  They oversell tickets, to make sure they have a capacity crowd.  If they reach capacity and you’re outside, even if you have a ticket, they won’t let you in.”

“And, that would be a bad thing,” Bruce asked, joking.

Tim looked up sharply, but saw the smile on the man’s face.  “Yes, that would be a bad thing.  Come on, Bruce, this is going to be fun.”

Bruce sighed dramatically, “If you insist.”  He shook his head, as if he was making a huge sacrifice, as he said, “The things I do for my sons.”

Tim snorted and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Bruce, because we ask so much of you.”

Bruce chuckled as they ordered their drinks.  While waiting for their coffee, Bruce said, “You may not ask for much, but your brothers do, sometimes.”

Tim smiled, “This ought to be good.”

“Well, when Ringling Brothers was in town last month, Dick again reiterated his request for an elephant.”

Tim gave a short bark of laughter, “Bruce, he can afford one on his own.  If he was really serious about having an elephant, he would have bought one by now.”

“Jason wants me to install a shooting range…downstairs.”

Tim looked like he was considering the notion.  “Damian might like that, too.  It would give them something to bond over.”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “I’m trying to suppress that part of his upbringing, thank you.  Speaking of Damian, ever since we returned from our trip, he has been requesting that we move to Alaska.”

Tim shrugged, “I can’t blame him for that.  You know very well how serious he is about Robin, and a change of scenery from this city might be good for him.”

“Every day, Tim.  He comes to see me every night, at exactly six forty-five, to tell me that he has found another suitable property in the Fairbanks area that we could afford without batting an eye.  He comes in while I’m changing after work, shows me a house listing, I say no, and he leaves.  It’s almost becoming a game with him.”

“It probably is,” Tim said, “What’s wrong with that?  You know how easy he says his school work is for him, he probably has more time in the day than we realize.”

“He’s trying to do two years in one, so he can follow in your footsteps.  Even if it is easy for him, I want him to focus on that, not the Alaskan real estate market.”

Tim shrugged with a laugh, “Maybe it’s a career choice?”

Bruce laughed as they picked up their coffees and walked out of the shop.  “I can see Damian doing a lot of things.  Real Estate Agent is not one of them.”

A smile brightened Tim’s face, “Actually, I would love to see that.” Tim tried to imitate Damian’s voice, “You, idiot, buy this house.  You’re dumb enough to think it’s a good deal.”

Bruce and Tim were laughing hard as they lined up outside of the Gotham Civic Center.  Tim saw the disdainful look Bruce was trying to hide.  Hoping to keep the man in a good mood, and distract him from the fact that a grown man in a giant, yellow, fuzzy Pikachu costume was standing behind Bruce, Tim asked, “When was the last time you were here?”

Bruce had to think for a minute before saying, “Mayor’s Luncheon, three or four years ago.  Worst lunch I’ve ever been served at a city function.  I would swear that they were serving rubber chicken.” Tim laughed as Bruce continued, “I’m grateful that I stayed away from the shrimp.  I heard there were twelve cases of food poisoning the next day.”

Tim recognized that Bruce was trying his best no to ruin Tim’s plans, but it was a stretch when Bruce finally spotted the six-foot tall Pokémon standing behind him.  Looking around, Bruce saw many people dressed in various costumes.  He took a step closer to Tim and asked quietly, “Is, um, dressing in strange costumes common at these things?  I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time with grown men spending their time dressing up like some character and walking around town.”

Tim chuckled and gave a goofy grin, “You’re kidding, right?”

Bruce rolled his eyes.  “That’s different, and you know it.”

“Yeah, I do, but you have to admit,” Tim pointed to a man dressed in a Batman costume that barely covered his beer belly, with a small girl holding his hand dressed as Robin, “You could pull off the look better than that.”

Bruce grimaced at the Fat Batman, but smiled at the young Robin.  Her chosen costume wasn’t that of the current Robin, but Dick’s preferred sidekick costume.  He was taken back to a time when Dick had been that small with a wistful smile.

“Yes, I could pull off that look much better.”  Bruce gestured to the yellow fluff behind him and said, “But, I think I’ll leave that one alone.”

Tim turned and watched as a boy of about six, dressed as Ash Ketchum, ran and leapt into Pikachu’s arms, shouting, “I caught you, Dad!”

Turning back to Bruce, Tim said with a grin, “I don’t know, Bruce.  Father’s do strange things for their sons.  Just look at where you’re standing.”

Bruce patted Tim’s back as the line started moving, and they entered the Civic Center.

Bruce was amazed at the sheer size of the display floor.  This really wasn’t his ‘thing’, but he had no idea there would be so many different booths.  He was expecting a couple tables of guys selling comic books, not interactive multimedia displays from companies he had heard of.

Tim aimed them as a table displaying the latest in virtual reality headsets.  He won the fight to get Bruce to try one out by whispering, “Imagine what we could do with these in training,” in his ear.  Bruce had to admit, it was an interesting thought, and the technology sent a couple ideas pinging around his mind.

Tim smiled as they walked away from the booth.  Bruce caught the smile and asked, “Did you want one of those, Tim?”

Tim patted Bruce’s arm and said, “No.  Maybe for Christmas, but it’s not something I really need.”

Bruce filed away the mention, thinking it might be something he could get for all of the boys come the holidays, when Tim chuckled and said, “I think this booth should interest you.”

The booth in question was a display set up of Wayne Tech laptops.  Bruce’s jaw dropped as he saw his company logo among the likes of Disney and Microsoft.

“Was this your doing, Tim?”

“The laptops were, you know that,” Tim answered, “Apparently, they make killer gaming rigs.”

Bruce eyed his son warily, “Are you really trying to convince me that _that_ little fact wasn’t running through your mind when you designed the original?”

Tim gave a satisfied grin, “Maybe?”

Tim pointed to two guys, walking away from the booth with boxes under their arms and smiles on their faces.  “That’s two more units sold, so I think this can be seen as a success.”

“Step right up!  Check out the latest in Wayne Tech compu…”  The attendant’s face paled as he saw his next hopeful customers.  “Mr. Wayne, Mr. Drake.  Good morning, sirs.  What brings you down today?”

Bruce looked at Tim, who stepped up to the table.  “Just seeing what’s up with the competition,” Tim said.  “Which models are you hawking today?”

The man gestured to two laptops, which looked exactly the same to Bruce.  “Two models today; a base model, and the top of the line.”

Bruce grew interested in the conversation, and the enthusiasm the salesman had for his job.  “Which models did you just sell?”

The man gave a devious grin, “The top of the line, of course.  It doesn’t matter how expensive those things are, they sell.”

Tim chuckled as Bruce said with a grin, “Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wayne.  We will.”

Bruce and Tim walked away, and Bruce asked, “Did you know they were going to be here?”

“I know we have teams working trade shows.  I didn’t know they would consider Goth Con a trade show, or a good place to set up a booth, but if they’re selling, then someone in promotions had the right idea.”

Tim checked his watch before leading Bruce into an area with a large sign reading ‘Superhero Corridor of Justice’.  Bruce rolled his eyes and asked quietly, “This is why you wanted to come today?”

Tim gave a sheepish smile and said, “Partly.  Well, actually, the real reason we’re here is taking place in this section of the show, so yes, it is why I wanted to come today.”

“And, that reason is?”

Tim looked at Bruce with mock shock on his face, “That reason is a surprise, Bruce.  Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Once again, they ran across Fat Batman and the Girl Wonder in the scaly green shorts.  The man was holding up a Wonder Woman shirt for the girl, but she was pointing at an Aquaman one instead.

Tim smirked as Bruce whispered in his ear, “Really?  Aquaman?  You would think that _our_ merchandise would sell in this city.”

Tim cocked his head, “Your stuff sells pretty well.  How is it that we allow that without getting a cut of the royalties?”

Bruce snorted, “That is a good question, and if I figure out an answer, you’ll be the first to know.”

Tim shrugged, “We could do it mob-style, and collect in person, like a protection racket.”

“I’ll think about it,” Bruce smirked.

Bruce sighed right along with Fat Batman as the man relented and bought the Aquaman shirt for his smiling daughter.  He shook his head, “Aquaman.”

“Maybe she just likes the color?  You know, Bruce, that really isn’t a nice thing to say.  I mean, you know the guy.”

Bruce smirked, “Whose town is this?  If the show was taking place in Atlantis, then his stuff should be selling.”

Tim gave a short laugh, “If that’s how you feel, then don’t look at the next table.”

Bruce looked, and found a brightly lit table devoted entirely to Superman memorabilia.  Bruce scowled at the table, and the large crowd around it, and grumbled, “We aren’t even going there.  We’re going over there.”

He pointed to a darker section of the hall, containing several tables lined with Batman swag.  Tim smiled softly as Bruce seemed to be relaxing and getting into the spirit of the day.

Expecting to see a table of t-shirts, Bruce was surprised to find an array of Batarangs for sale.  He picked one up and examined it cautiously.

“Tim,” he murmured, “This is a little too close for comfort to the real thing.  How could someone get a hold of our equipment, to copy it so closely?”

Tim mumbled back, “You aren’t as vigilant as you used to be when it comes to collecting them after patrols.”

“Excuse me, sir,” the man running the booth said as he walked by, “If you don’t know how to handle one of those, don’t play with them.  We don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Tim had to step on Bruce’s foot hard to keep Batman from making an appearance, to show the man just how well he could handle one.  Tim flagged down the attendant again and said, “These are pretty realistic.  Did you make them yourself?”

The man smiled, “Yep.  Found a couple real ones in an alley a while back.  They looked pretty easy to replicate, so here I am.”  He leaned forward and asked conspiratorially, “Want to see the real ones?”

Bruce nodded, and the man pulled out a display case from under the table.  Two of Bruce’s personal weapons were set under glass.  They stared for a minute before Bruce and Tim thanked the man and walked away.

“Well, were they real?” Tim asked quietly.

“Yes,” Bruce said with a sigh.  “They are pretty new, too.  The one on the right was one of Damian’s.  I recognized his design changes.”

Tim chuckled, “He won’t be happy to hear that there are knock-offs of his designs.”

Tim stopped, and his eyes widened, “Bruce!”

Bruce stopped, looking around for some sign of danger.  “What?”

Tim turned to the man with a devilish smile, “We should go back and buy a couple of them, the knock-offs of Damian’s design.  Then, when we get home tonight, you can make him think you found them somewhere, and get on him about being more careful with equipment.”

Bruce shook his head, “I’m beginning to think you all spend too much time around Dick.  I though you two liked each other now?”

“We do, but you have to admit, our jokes go over much better when you’re involved to sell them.”

Bruce shook his head sadly, “There are two reasons your little joke won’t work.  First, Damian is better about keeping count of his weapons and returning them than even I am.  Second, you all joke around too much.  You know how much he hates jokes on patrol.”

They headed towards a rack of Batman branded clothing.  Tim picked up a black hooded sweatshirt with a yellow bat symbol on the chest.  Bruce looked at his son strangely as Tim pawed through the rack, looking for a size.  “You’re kidding, right?”

Tim smiled, “It’s for Dick.  Running gag.  Remember the bat-signal t-shirts?”

Bruce remembered as Tim paid for the sweatshirt.  Tim turned back to Bruce and said, “So, how about the Batarangs?”

Bruce rolled his eyes and shook his head gently, “You all joke around too much, Tim.  Fighting crime isn’t supposed to be a laugh riot.”

“Maybe,” Tim shrugged, “But Dick’s plan worked.”

Bruce looked suspicious, “What plan?”

Tim whispered in Bruce’s ear, “The plan to transform a heartless assassin into an almost-normal boy.  Damian wouldn’t be where he is today without Dick; there is no way to argue that fact.”

Bruce wouldn’t argue that, even if he wanted to.  It was the gospel truth.  He nodded as Tim continued, “Jokes are a big part of Dick’s personality.” Tim placed a hand of Bruce’s forearm and said, “He’s the way he is because of you.  You made it okay for that lost and hurt little boy to return to his own personality, and turn into the man he is today, your best friend.”

Bruce gave a soft smile.  Tim continued, “You did that for all of us.  We don’t thank you enough for that.”

“Aww, Tim.  You’re going to make me cry at a comic book convention,” Bruce said, wrapping an arm around Tim’s shoulders.

Tim winked, “You’re just important to us.  You need to know that.”

“Is that why you wanted to spend the day with me?”

“To make sure you know how important to us you are?  Yes.  And, to spend some quality time with you.  I wasn’t lying this morning when I said I miss you.”  Tim checked his watch again.  “Come on, we need to go get seats for your surprise.”

Bruce gave Tim an almost stunned look as they sat in a quickly-filling auditorium.  Bruce leaned over and said softly, “The Grey Ghost Panel Discussion?”

Tim nodded, “I didn’t think you would mind.”

Bruce gave his son a soft smile, “How did you know?”

Tim smirked, “I grew up watching reruns of The Grey Ghost, too.”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “They weren’t reruns when I watched it.  Was this something you did with your dad?”

Tim’s smile grew a faraway quality, “My mom, actually.  She said she had a crush on Simon Trent when she was growing up.”

Bruce smiled, “We’ve never talked about anything like this.  How did you know I used to love this show?”

Tim sighed contentedly, “Several ways, but first, why don’t we talk about the show.  Tell me what it was like when you used to watch it.”

Bruce matched Tim’s sigh, remembering back in time.  “The first thing you should know is that The Grey Ghost wasn’t Simon Trent’s first acting role.  He did bit parts for years, dating back to his first role in a prep school production, opposite another young up-and-comer, Thomas Wayne.”

Tim’s jaw dropped as he gasped, “Your dad went to school with Simon Trent?”

Bruce smiled, “Yeah.  They weren’t friends, but they knew each other.  Dad was most definitely not an actor, but that didn’t stop him from going out for a part in the school play.  He had his eye on a young girl who was into actors.”

“How did it turn out,” Tim asked, caught up in the story.

“It was dad’s only acting credit, but he got the girl.  Mom always said she felt sorry for him, and she only went out with him to keep him from acting again.  I know she was just joking, but I’ve always liked that story.”

Tim had a soft smile on his face as he said, “I didn’t know your parents were high school sweethearts.”

Bruce nodded, “Oh yeah.  They didn’t get married until after dad was working as a doctor, but they were together for a good ten years before that.”

Tim gave a happy sigh.  Bruce never talked about his parents.  It made Tim feel pretty special, that Bruce would share that with him.

Bruce smiled and said, “Dad sat me down one morning, when I was five, to watch this TV show about a shadowy detective, fighting crime and righting wrongs.  You have no idea how confused I was when he told me, after the show, that he went to school with The Grey Ghost.  I was five, I didn’t know the difference between characters and actors.  I was still wondering how to hitch a ride on the Mystery Machine.”

Tim laughed.  He never knew that Bruce was a Scooby Doo fan growing up, too.  _I’m finding out so much about him today.  I wonder if Dick knows any of this._

Bruce nodded, “By the time the second episode aired, Dad had got me the hat and the overcoat.  I went everywhere in that hat for months.  Every Saturday morning, I sat in front of the TV in the hat and coat, and watched his latest adventures.”

Tim patted Bruce’s shoulder.  “That sounds almost exactly like mom’s story.  She said she was so sad the day she found out they canceled the show.”

“So was I,” Bruce said.

“Mom found the reruns one day, when I was six, and I was hooked.”

Bruce looked thoughtful, “Maybe it’s something you need to be younger to enjoy.  I never could get Dick interested in the show.  Actually, I could barely get him into any show.  He didn’t regularly start watching TV until his teenage years.”

“He didn’t even have one at his apartment,” Tim pointed out.

Bruce glanced over at his third son and said, “So, are you going to tell me how you figured out that I am a Ghost fan?”

Tim smirked, “Two ways.  A year or so ago, Dick found me watching some old video clips online and told me the whole story of how you used to try to get him to watch the show with you.  I was amazed, to be honest, but I already had my suspicions at that point.  I recognized several patterns in how things were done, um…when…um…at night.”

Bruce smiled, figuring that Tim would be the one to put together that Batman’s investigative method almost exactly matched The Grey Ghost’s.  He blushed slightly and said, “Yes, I borrowed some inspiration for…well, _him_ , from The Grey Ghost.  Leave it to you to notice that.  So, what is this whole panel discussion about?  I wouldn’t believe this show would be popular enough for people to be talking about it almost forty years later.”

Bruce’s eyes widened and he fell silent, thinking.  Tim leaned against the man and whispered, “You just felt really old just now, didn’t you?”

Bruce sighed and whispered, “Yeah.”

“You’re not, and even if you are, we don’t see you that way.”

“I’m not sure that was as comforting as you meant it to be, Tim.”

“Sorry,” Tim shrugged, “But in answer to your question, there is renewed interest in the show because they are in the process of filming ‘The Grey Ghost-the next generation’.  I don’t know if that is what they are actually calling it, but that’s basically what it is.  New stories, and a new cast, revolving around Grey Ghost-type adventures.”

“Really?”  Tim was surprised at how interested Bruce sounded at the premise.  “This really is a good surprise, Tim.  Thank you.”

Tim smirked, “You haven’t seen anything yet, Bruce.  The panel is scheduled to be the casts of both new and old shows.  They will talk about both series, then have a question and answer session with the audience.  Then, they are going to show us the pilot episode of the new show, before a meet and greet with the casts.  I’m pretty sure Mr. Trent will have a long line, but that’s why we’re sitting up front.  Bruce, your real surprise is that you get to be first in line to meet The Grey Ghost.”

Bruce couldn’t help but smile at how excited Tim sounded about their plan for the afternoon.  He couldn’t make a reply, though, because the lights dimmed and a cheer went up as a dozen people took the stage and sat at a long table while a moderator introduced everyone.  Bruce gasped as Simon Trent waved at the crowd as he was introduced.

Bruce leaned over to Tim and said, “He looks pretty good for a guy who is almost Alfred’s age.”

“I know you don’t want to think about this,” Tim replied, “but that is probably how your dad would look, too, if he were, you know, still alive.”

Bruce thought of the improvised portrait that Damian had drawn the previous year.  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Much of the panel discussion was focused on the new cast, and the roles they would be playing in the new series.  Bruce was a bit surprised, but glad, to hear that the old cast would all be returning in one role or another.  The premise of the new series saw the new main actor starring as the grandson of the original Grey Ghost, picking up where the old man left off.

The question and answer session quickly turned to the old cast and the old series.  Tim couldn’t help but laugh at the reaction of the new cast members.  They seemed annoyed that the fans were more interested in the established show, instead of their new incarnation.  Bruce smiled at the questions.  His mind was buzzing happily as questions he remembered asking his father at five years old were finally answered by those in a position to know.  Tim took the occasional clandestine glance at Bruce, and the smile on the man’s face warmed his heart.  _Dick is going to kill me for not bringing a camera to capture this.  I can’t believe this is going so well._

The pilot episode for the new series, which they found out was actually called ‘The Grey Ghost-The Next Generation’, as Tim had joked, was shown next.  Bruce sat uncomfortably through the first half of the show, until he couldn’t take it anymore and leaned over to Tim.

“Tim,” he hissed.

_Uh-oh, something’s wrong._   “Yeah?”

“Doesn’t the plot of this pilot seem a little…familiar?”

Tim watched another minute of the episode until something ticked in the back of his mind.  “Now that you mention it.  You think it’s because we’ve seen all of the original episodes?”

“No,” Bruce said quietly, yet urgently, “It’s because we solved this case when you were sixteen.  Replace the Strangler with Two Face, and the orphanage kids with the Gotham Gazette staff.”

Tim’s jaw dropped as his eyes widened, “Oh…My…God.  Bruce, that’s it exactly.  You don’t think your case files were hacked, do you?”

Bruce shook his head, “Impossible.  More likely, the writers found a stack of old newspapers and are repurposing stories.”

Tim had a hard time controlling his laughter as a thought hit him.  Bruce arched an eyebrow at his son and asked, “What?”

Still chuckling, Tim said softly, “You patterned _him_ after the Grey Ghost.  Now, the Grey Ghost is taking inspiration from you.  It’s come full circle.”

Bruce snickered, “Now I really am going to look into getting royalties.”

When the meet and greet portion of the event started, Tim didn’t have to drag Bruce up to stand in front of Simon Trent.  He did, however, leave Bruce alone at the front of the line, stating he had to use the restroom.  Bruce was slightly embarrassed to approach the man alone.

“Well, at least someone here knows how to dress properly,” Simon said, noticing Bruce’s suit.

Bruce put on a society smile and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Trent.  I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time.”

Simon looked at Bruce strangely and asked, “Have we met before?  I swear, you look so familiar.

Bruce held out his hand and said, “I’m Bruce Wayne, Mr. Trent.”

The actor shook Bruce’s hand and said, “Wayne?  Like ‘Wayne Enterprises’ Wayne?”

“Yes, sir.”

Simon smiled and said, “Well, how about that?  You might not know this, Bruce, but I went to school with your parents.”

“My father told me,” Bruce said.

“How are they, Bruce?”

_Is he kidding?  How can he not have heard about the most infamous murder in the history of Gotham City?_   “Well, they’re dead, Mr. Trent.”

Simon looked horrified, “Oh, I’m sorry, Bruce.”

Bruce took a deep breath, “It happened a long time ago, Mr. Trent.”

Simon could see that he hit a nerve with the man standing in front of him, and quickly tried to change the subject.  “So, that young man sitting with you?”

Bruce regained his smile and said, “Tim, my son.  He said he was going to the restroom.  You would think he could just hold it, for a chance to meet you.”

“Only child,” Simon asked.

“Third of four, actually,” Bruce replied proudly.  “He’s the reason we came today.”

Bruce pulled out his wallet and reached into a back pocket.  Pulling out an old card, he handed it to the actor and said, “When was the last time you saw one of those?”

Simon smiled at the Grey Ghost Fan Club Membership Card and said, “More often than you might think.  Wait a minute, number fifty-two?  This is a first run card.  There were only sixty of these printed.  The second run didn’t start for another year after the first run, and they started at number one hundred.  You should hold on to that, it could be worth something someday.  You really have been a fan for a long time.”

Tim walked back up to the front of the line, much to the grumbles of those he walked past, as Bruce said, “Thomas Wayne signed me up for that the day of the first broadcast of the first episode.  He was a fan of yours, too.”

Tim nudged Bruce and said, “Thought you might want this, Bruce.”

“Mr. Trent, this is Tim,” he said as he took the small hat from his son.  Tim and Simon shook hands as Bruce looked up, shocked, “Where did you get this?”

Simon smiled at the youth-sized Grey Ghost hat and said, “You really were a fan.  You’re pulling out all the relics today.”

Tim shrugged at Bruce, “Alfred gave it to me.”

“Is he here?”

“No,” Tim smiled, “I left it in the car.  I couldn’t exactly bring it in with us; you would have asked questions.”

Bruce’s jaw dropped as he turned the hat over and saw the ballpoint pen monogrammed ‘BW’ just above the tag.  “I can’t believe he kept this,” Bruce said quietly.

Simon pulled the hat gently from Bruce’s grasp and looked it over.  Then, he pulled out a Sharpie and signed the brim of the small hat.  Handing it back, Simon said, “It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Bruce, and you too, Tim.”

Bruce held the hat reverently and said, “Thank you, Mr. Trent.  Good luck on the new show.  We’ll be watching.”

Bruce and Tim finally wandered away from the meet and greet table.  Tim was thoroughly enjoying the smile that seemed to be plastered on Bruce’s face.  Bruce gave a contented sigh and said, “That was great.  Thank you, Tim.  What else is on our schedule?”

Tim blushed faintly, “To be honest, Bruce, that was it.  I didn’t want to push it; I know you really aren’t comfortable here.”

A flock of conventioneers walked by the duo, all dressed like the Joker.  Bruce shuddered and said, “No, but I can stand it for you, son.”

“It’s okay, Bruce.  We don’t have to stay.  We already saw the parts we came for.”

Tim started to walk towards the exit when Bruce said, “Freeze, young man.  You booked me for eight hours.  It hasn’t even been four.  Now, come on, what’s next?”

Tim smiled as he thought for a second, “How about lunch?”

“Now you’re talking,” Bruce said.

“Where do you want to eat, Bruce?  My treat,” Tim said.

Bruce asked, “What do they have here?”

Tim rolled his eyes.  “No, Bruce.  I’m not talking a 7-11 hot dog, or a Subway sandwich, I’m talking a real lunch.  In a restaurant, with tables, and waiters, and a full bar, if you’re interested.”

Bruce eyes his son, “Now, I’m thinking you might be spending too much time with Jason.  You’re not twenty-one yet, remember?”

“Just for a couple more months.”

“More like six or seven.  Just because I allow you the occasional drink at home, doesn’t mean a restaurant will.”

Tim smiled, “No, but you shouldn’t let that stop you, if you were interested.  You have a designated driver today.”

“Pick something, Tim.”

Tim shrugged, “Okay, we’re going for steaks.”

Tim drove down the street to a steakhouse that Bruce recommended.  Bruce wasn’t watching where they were going, though.  He sat in the passenger seat, cradling the hat in his lap, staring at the signature of his last living childhood hero.

“We’ll have to get a display case for that,” Tim said softly, “It’s a collector’s item now.”

“I can’t believe Alfred kept this,” Bruce said, still stunned.

“Why wouldn’t he?  I know you’re aware how close to a son you are to him.”

“I never thought about it before.”

“Yes, you did,” Tim said softly.

“Yes, I did,” Bruce admitted, just as softly.  He glanced over and said quietly, “Tim?”

“Yes, Dad?”

A smile crossed Bruce’s face as Tim answered the question he didn’t ask.  “Damian was right.  You do know more than you should.”

“I’m sure that’s not exactly how Damian phrased it,” Tim said with a laugh.  They pulled up in front of the restaurant, and Tim smirked at Bruce, “I’m just doing my job.  Keeping track of all of you is a full-time occupation.”

Bruce reached over and gently grabbed Tim’s forearm.  “Hey, don’t forget to put yourself on the list of people to take care of.  You need to take time for yourself, too.”

Tim patted the hand and smiled, “What do you think part of today is?  Today is doing wonders for me.”

Following their meal, as they sat back with a cup of coffee and basked in the glow of the friendly atmosphere, Bruce eyed his son carefully.  “I know what you’re doing, Tim”

“What am I doing, Bruce,” Tim asked with a barely concealed grin.

“I tell you guys all the time, this isn’t something that ever needs to be done.”

Tim’s smile grew bigger, “…And yet, here we are.  Are you trying to convince me that you don’t deserve it?”

“I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want it.”

Tim flinched, “That hurts, Bruce.”

Bruce sighed, “I’m sorry, Tim.”

“No,” Tim interrupted, “You do it for us all the time.  There is no reason we can’t be allowed to do it for you.  This happens to everyone.  No matter how much you don’t like it, you aren’t exempt from it.  You might as well go with it and try to enjoy it.”

Bruce shook his head, “You know what Dick would do if I said yes.”

“He won’t,” Tim shook his head, “I’ll have Jason tie him down, if it comes to it.  There’s no getting around it.  Besides, was today really that bad?”

Bruce thought back on their morning with a smile.  “No,” he said softly, “No, it wasn’t.”

“How was your steak?”

“Pretty damn good, actually.”

Tim paid their bill and they left the restaurant.  Instead of heading for the driver’s seat, Tim walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk.  Bruce followed him and looked into the space, heaving an exasperated sigh.

Tim placed his hands on Bruce’s shoulders and looked deep into the man’s eyes.  “Happy birthday, Dad.”

“I hate that word,” Bruce grumbled.

“Happy, Birthday, or Dad?” Tim asked.

“Birthday.”

Tim smiled, “Only when it applies to you, apparently.  You have always tried to spoil us on our birthdays.”

“That’s what I’m supposed to do.  As your parent, I’m supposed to spoil my children.”

“Well, we can’t do that for you, but you can at least allow us to mark the day.”

Bruce thought for a minute, “If I agree to this, we’re going to have to have a serious talk with Dick.  He’s not exactly known for subtle, understated, or tasteful.”

Tim smiled, knowing he had won.  “That’s why you have Alfred and me, and Jason and Damian, for that matter.  Jason and Damian will distract Dick, while Alfred and I do the planning and preparation.”

“I’ll think about it,” Bruce said, trying to hide the fact that he was warming greatly to the idea.

Tim rolled his eyes and pointed into the trunk, “If you think about it too long, you won’t get your birthday presents.”

Bruce smirked, “Who is the adult here, Timothy?”

“Me, apparently.  Will you just open your gifts already?”

“You know, with that attitude…” Bruce trailed off suggestively, with a smile.

Tim returned the smile and said, “Open them, or I’ll let Dick plan the party he’s been wanting to throw for you for twenty years.  I can guarantee that the hat he’ll pick out for you for that one will not be your old Grey Ghost fedora.”

Bruce reached into the trunk, imagining the most garish, flamboyant, gaudy Batman-inspired party hat that he could think of.  Shuddering at the thought, he pulled out a flat package.  Unwrapping it, he found a framed copy of The Grey Ghost comic book, issue number one.

“I thought I’d stick with a theme,” Tim said with a smile.

Bruce examined the cover of the 1976 comic book with his own smile.  “Oh, Tim.  This is pretty special.  Wait…is this my original copy, too?  It looks a bit worn.”

“Alfred saved that, too.  I made a couple improvements, though.  Look closer.”

Bruce did, and found a series of signatures on the cover.  “That seems like a lot of names, just to produce a comic book.”

Tim nodded with a smile, “Top half of the cover is the original cast from the show, the people you just met.  Bottom half of the cover is the original writers and artists that wrote and drew the comic book.  That is the only place in the world where that group of names comes together.”

“I’m blown away, Tim.  This must have taken a long time to pull together.”

Tim shrugged, “You’re worth a little extra work.  To be honest, it actually took longer to find a frame that I liked, than it did to get all of the signatures.”

Bruce chuckled, “Where do you think I should put it?”

“How about in your study?  You can hang it next to that picture Damian drew.”

A smile crossed Bruce’s face, “You mean the picture of the two of you?”

“What?”  Tim was confused at that statement.

“You didn’t notice,” Bruce asked innocently.

“It’s two birds flying over a lake.

“No,” Bruce said in Tim’s ear, “It’s a Robin and a Drake, flying together.”  Tim’s jaw dropped at the explanation.  Bruce continued, “Don’t worry, Damian didn’t notice it, either.”

Tim thought about it, then shook his head, “Well, whatever it is, whatever it stands for, you have another present to go.”

Bruce reached back into the trunk and pulled out a vaguely brick-shaped package.  Opening that revealed a copy of the complete series of The Grey Ghost.  Bruce smiled at the DVD set and joked, “You didn’t get this one signed.”

“No, I didn’t,” Tim smiled back.  “I want you to actually use this one.  If it was signed, you wouldn’t want to unwrap it.  Also, this isn’t supposed to come out until next month, so don’t tell anyone you have it.”

Bruce looked up, “How did you get it, if it isn’t available yet?”

Tim just smiled and said, “Don’t worry about that.  Just enjoy it.  Bring the adventures of the Grey Ghost to the next generation.”

Bruce thought for a second, “That might not be a bad idea.  I think I might have an easier time convincing Damian to watch it than I did with Dick.  However, I think, for the first time through, I’d like it to be just us.  Will you watch it with me, Tim?”

Tim gave a soft smile and hugged Bruce.  “I would love to, Dad,” he whispered, “Happy birthday.”

“Yes,” Bruce whispered back, “Yes, it is.”

 

**A/N:  Just for housekeeping purposes, I imagine this to be set in mid to late September.  This was inspired by the episode of Batman: The Animated Series, _Beware the Grey Ghost_.  I believe they had Adam West voice Simon Trent/ The Grey Ghost for that episode.  Making him a contemporary of Thomas Wayne is my idea, though.**


End file.
